


Breathe Out

by AislingSiobhan



Series: Breathe [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, M/M, Not really a relationship... yet, Thor 2 spoiler, Thor: The Dark World, Tumblr Prompt, spoilers in the summary for Thor 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-10
Updated: 2013-12-10
Packaged: 2018-01-04 06:18:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1077622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AislingSiobhan/pseuds/AislingSiobhan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony’s heard the story of Loki versus the Dark Elves several times over from Thor. But this is the first time his friend has ever mentioned a second funeral, and Tony’s not sure he wants to know whose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathe Out

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Zelynxia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zelynxia/gifts).



I need to start avoiding the Frost-Iron Tumblr. All I do lately is fill prompts on there instead of writing my other stories… Enjoy, regardless. 

**“Breathe Out”**

**Disclaimer:** The Avengers, Tony, Loki, etc belong to Marvel, Stan Lee, et co. I make no money from this and own nothing, don’t sue.  
 **Summary:** [Tony/Loki] Tony’s heard the story of Loki versus the Dark Elves several times over from Thor. But this is the first time his friend has ever mentioned a second funeral, and Tony’s not sure he wants to know whose.  
 **Warnings:** Slash. Loki/Tony. Thor 2 spoilers. Character Death. Angst. Tumblr prompt. Gif Set.  
 **Rating:** PG-15 for death.  
 **A/N:** See: frost (-) iron (.) tumblr (.) com (/) post (/) 68965035832 

_XXX_

**Words:** 1,134  
 **Chapter 1**  
Every time Thor told them the story of how Loki had helped save Jane and Asgard from the Dark Elves, Tony tuned him out. They had heard it so many times before, over and over again as they celebrated each new win on Earth and reminisced about the old ones. It was always the same story; Loki was a hero now, Asgard was indebted to him, Jane wasn’t sorry she slapped him though, and the brothers both missed their mother dearly. 

Instead of listening, Tony thought about the last time Loki had been a part of a battle. The fight for New York and the moment he got thrown out of a window, pale fingers squeezing around his throat before letting go. Loki’s thumb had stroked over his pulse, almost sensually, an accident Tony had always assumed, but the God had leaned out of the window as Tony fell and licked his lips, winking. He had flown back up, blasted Loki onto his back with a repulsor and braced himself for another attack, but the God had laughed, eyes bright and head thrown back as he picked himself up off of the ground. 

“You are a feisty one,” Loki had told him, still smiling. Tony had been grabbed, a mouth suddenly hard against his own before the God rolled his way off of the balcony, landing on a passing chariot and taking the place of the Chitauri Clint had just shot down from it. 

“I will come back for you,” Loki’s voice had spoken in Tony’s head, his lips unmoving and the gag tight around his face so that he could barely breathe. Tony had pushed his sunglasses further up his face, making sure his eyes were completely covered as he stared into Loki’s own, the God meeting them full on as if he knew Tony would be watching. They stared at each other until Thor activated the Tesseract and disappeared with Loki in tow. Tony had spent the first few months waiting, heart pounding with terror every time something happened that he couldn’t explain, jumping to the conclusion that it was Loki coming back to kill him. The thing with Killian had happened, ‘thing’ because Pepper didn’t like to talk about it, which had distracted him for a little while, and after that the dreams had started. Loki above him, kissing him, touching him while Tony writhed on the bed, and the voice inside of his head again, promising to come back to Midgard to claim Tony for his own. And Tony waited with anticipation, excited and aroused, desperate to know this entity because he was new and terrifying and just as sexy as Pepper when she was beating on Killian. Without Extremis, she was still Pepper, but not dangerous, not like Loki whose power made Tony’s heart jump into his throat everytime he thought about being at the God’s mercy. 

When Pepper broke up with him, Tony kept waiting for Loki, kept having the dreams and hearing the God’s voice promising him, “They cannot keep me here forever.” 

But Loki never came back. Tony just figured he was busy being a hero on Asgard, never wanted to ask because he hadn’t wanted to look like he cared over much, but no one else had asked either. 

Thor kept talking, telling the same old tale, but this time he mentioned a second funeral, and Tony snapped his head up to stare at the blond God’s face intently. Loki’s name was mentioned, and Tony frowned as he tried to think who else could have died that Loki would have cared enough about to attend the funeral (especially since Asgard hadn’t even let him attend his mother’s one). 

“You never mentioned your brother at this part of the story, what happened?” 

Thor’s face fell, looking suddenly like he had aged ten years in the space of ten seconds. “No one cared to ask me this question before.” The Asgardian said turned away from his friends, glancing out of the window. His eyes watched the sun set, tracking the spread of orange and red as it spanned across the sky, dipping below the buildings as the sun dragged it down in its wake. Thor’s shoulders had slumped, his forehead was pressed to the glass, and he remembered the colour of fire in the sky of Svartlfheimr as Loki died in his arms. 

“Thor?” Tony’s voice was soft and hesitant. He knew he wouldn’t like the answer. Knew he didn’t want to hear it, but if he didn’t ask no one else would and Tony would wait forever for Loki to come back when he should have known that he never would. He hadn’t heard from Loki in months, unusual in itself, but the fact that Loki hadn’t been seen either was worrying. Tony knew what Thor was going to say before he could say it, but it was like a punch to the gut nonetheless. 

“Loki’s dead.” It was so simply, yet sad. Spoken, as if Thor had said it over and over again, telling himself every morning and every night until it had sunk into his memory, and now it was only words. They held meaning, yes, but they did not hurt Thor as they once had; they were just words. But for Tony, it was like Thor had reached into his chest and yanked on his heart. It was stupid, because he didn’t love Loki, he didn’t even know Loki. But he had wanted to know him, wanted to see him and touch him and see where they ended up in a years’ time. Tony had been waiting for so long, and after a year of wanting something so badly, of having Loki slip into his dreams and promise him that he _would_ get what he wanted in time, Loki had become his future. And Thor had just ripped that away from him. 

His legs felt like jelly, and they shook as Tony stood up from his seat. “I- I see. S- Sorry.” He couldn’t look at Thor as he spoke, couldn’t make himself look at anyone, because no one knew about him and Loki (had there ever even been a him and Loki?) and what was the point in telling them now. “I… I gotta go,” he told them instead, walking to the door as quickly as he could, right hand trailing along the wall because he was afraid his legs would give out. 

Just breathe, he told himself as he closed the door softly. Breathe in: as he stepped in to the elevator and pressed the button for his private lab. Breathe out: as Tony ordered Jarvis to lock it down, reaching for his emergency supply of scotch. 

“Don’t cry,” he whispered at his reflection. 

Loki’s voice was silent in his head. 

**The End**


End file.
